The invention is directed to a safety belt arrangement for passengers in a vehicle, containing a lock attachable to the vehicle for accommodating a belt provided with a lock plate wherein, by depressing a trigger key at the lock, a shape-mating connection of the lock plate with the lock is released, in conjunction with a belt lock release containing a sensor, a delay device, and a pyrotechnical power element with an electrical igniter and an axially movable pin.
The use of a pyrotechnical device for the automatic release of a belt system has been known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,086,685.
Specific embodiments for a safety belt system for vehicles can be derived from French No. A-2,507,864 and French No. A-2,442,163.
In all these devices, retrofitting work must be performed on the lock; also, in most cases the external dimensions and the operability are altered by the additionally installed elements; the power consumption as well as the space requirement are considerable.